The material was taken from the cleanup of a single residential remodeling project, Sierra said.

The materials included concrete rubble, plant and tree stumps, and discarded furniture and paintings.

The indictment alleges Silva knowingly deposited solid waste somewhere other than a permitted solid-waste management system without prior approval by the health director. The cost for removing it and disposing of it exceeds $1,500.

"The bigger story is, How do we address this problem?" Sierra said. Usually, those doing the illegal dumping do not leave any clues, he said.

Investigators were able to trace the illegal dumping to Silva by sifting through the trash heap and finding the address of the house, Sierra said. The owners of the home were unaware of the alleged dumping, he said.